Interesting discoveries about Disney history, vintage Disneyana, Disney artwork, the Walt's People book series, and new books about Disney.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

This just in from Jim Korkis:

[One of the great joys about writing about Disney History is that sometimes out of the blue you get a response from someone you never knew about who supples a piece of information that you had never heard before despite all your research. I recently wrote an article about the Disney radio show of the 1930s entitled "Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air" and in the course of the article I talked about Felix Mills who was the musical director for the show and who created a "gadget band" with wild instruments for Donald Duck to direct on some episodes. I heard from Solo Goodspeed, the grandson of Felix Mills.

"Bless your heart for that wonderful article about the Mickey Mouse radio program. Though I was born in 1954, I grew up listening to recordings of the program given to me by my grandfather Gordon "Felix" Mills, whom you know was the orchestra leader and arranger on that and other radio shows. He was a great influence and inspiration to me in my life, and I still have those old tapes in my closet, though no way to play them presently without a r2r recorder. Thank you also for including the link to the seven radio shows, I hadn't heard those in SOOO long. Did you know that the drummer in Donald Duck's Webfoot Sextet was Spike Jones, before he founded the City Slickers? I'm going to forward your article to my mother (Felix's daughter), I'm sure she'll enjoy and appreciate the information you've posted."]

Monday, June 29, 2009

This just in from David Lesjak:

[Hi Didier.

I am trying to locate any bits of info on Disney artist Hank Porter to add to his biography, which I am currently writing. I am particularly interested in any anecdotes, stories, or recollections that other Disney artists may have expressed about working with Hank. I am also looking for info regarding Hank's work on the Mickey Mouse Magazine, and Walt Disney's Comics and Stories comic books.

“Boom! Studios has landed the license for Disney’s standard characters, which for several years found their home with us at Gemstone Publishing. I want to personally congratulate Ross Richie, Andrew Cosby, Mark Waid and their team on picking up these great characters and titles,” said Steve Geppi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gemstone Publishing. “I think the whole industry has observed their initial successes with their Boom! Kids line with great interest, particularly the immediate sell-through on The Incredibles #1, The Muppet Show #1, and Cars #1. It would be exciting to see Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories and Mickey Mouse and Friends, as well as any subsequent titles, follow in similar form,” Geppi said. “When Gemstone took over the license, the standard characters had not appeared in American comics in four years and I firmly I believe that we paved the way back into the market for them,” he said. “We had some notable successes, both in terms of critical acclaim and sales, particularly with The Life & Times of Scrooge McDuck. While I am of course disappointed that I won’t be the one publishing these great characters anymore, I believe the future for them is still one of untapped potential.” Gemstone’s Disney back stock presently remains available from the company and from Diamond Comic Distributors.]

Friday, June 26, 2009

I had the pleasure of interviewing author and journalist Bob Thomas a few months ago for Walt's People - Volume 10 (which will focus entirely on his interviews with Disney artists and Disney family members). Here is what he had to say about Michael Jackson's meeting with Walt's nurse Hazel George:

[Didier Ghez: I understand that you once took the singer Michael Jackson to meet Hazel George, the Studio nurse. What was that experience like?

Bob Thomas: It was a bit bizarre. Michael was in awe of her, because she had worked with Walt so intimately over the years. I ended up asking all the questions. When we finally finished and I had got all the stories out of her, Hazel said to Michael, “Come back and see me again, and don’t bring him,” – pointing at me – “He talks too much.” Of course if I hadn’t talked as much as I did there would have been no interview.]

Thursday, June 25, 2009

[Do you remember the list of non-Disneys films with some kind of Disney reference/ connection in the film itself, posted on your blog in December 2006, including many additions/ comments?

I saw some old “episodes” of the Hal Roach Studio’s “Our Gang” short film serial on TV yesterday. Then I suddenly discovered another Disney reference in a non-Disney film. In the film “For Pete’s Sake” (1934) you see the gang’s dog attacking (!) a Mickey Mouse doll in a toy store. The doll was one of those made by Charlotte Clark.

(The film was computer colorized, and Mickey Mouse was correctly colorized with his red pants.) Interesting enough, the director of this film, Gus Meins (1893 – 1940), also directed the Laurel and Hardy film “Babes in Toyland” (also from 1934 and produced by Hal Roach), where some Disney “characters” appears. ]

And from Jim Korkis:

[To add to the Doug Fairbanks film discussion: Remember that Fairbanks was married to actress Mary Pickford who LOVED Mickey Mouse and at one time was going to star in the first Disney feature film, a combination of live action (Pickford) and animation of "Alice in Wonderland" before "Snow White". More importantly, here is the story from the 1986 book "Mickey Mouse: His Life and Times" on page 23-24: "When fellow film star Douglas Fairbanks went off on a world tour, he, apparently, showed Mickey movies to the head-hunters of the South Sea Islands" and reportedly said that doing so saved the lives and heads of those in his safari.]

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

I met a week ago Jorge San Roman Villalon, author of a recently released book in Spanish called La Extraordinaria Vida del Señor Wences about the world-famous ventriloquist Wences Moreno (1896 - 1999).

Apparently at some point in the '40s Moreno was offered by Walt and Roy to work for the Studio but they could not reach an agreement. From the two photos that Jorge sent me, we can deduce that the relationship between Walt and Moreno remained a good one as they clearly met again in the '60s. Both photos show Clarence Nash (left), Wences Moreno (center) and Walt.

We would love to get additional information about the relationship between Walt and Wences Moreno if any reader of the blog has some.

While I was in training last week, Mark Mayerson posted a fascinating "discovery" on his blog. We knew (thanks to JB Kaufman's seminal article on the subject) about the sequences created by Walt for other studios in the '30s: one in Servants' Entrance, the other one in Hollywood Party, but I had never heard about the one that can be seen in the travelogue Around the World in 80 Minutes by Douglas Fairbanks.

Here is what JB Kaufman could tell us about the sequence:

[I had wondered about this insert for a long time (sorry to say I didn't know about it at the time I wrote that "Before Snow White" article). So last year I screened it at the Library of Congress. Up until then I would have been willing to believe it was just a clip from an existing cartoon, but it's not; it's a special scene created just for the Fairbanks feature. This is evident for several reasons, but partly because the music, which starts in the preceding live-action scene, continues uninterrupted through the cartoon scene and Mickey's dance is synchronized to the rhythm of it. Also because he makes a point of imitating the hand and arm movements of the real dancers, on which Fairbanks has commented during the preceding scene.

Basically, it's a long pan; Mickey enters from a doorway at screen right, moves across the screen toward the left, and after an interval turns and dances back the way he came. His moves in the first half of the pan are imitations of the Siamese dancers; on the way back he's all American, with moves borrowed from the Charleston and other American dances. The whole thing is one uninterrupted take. It runs 53-2 in the LoC print, and Mickey's appearance looks to me very much like Dick Lundy's drawing. Of course that would make sense because it's a dance scene, and Lundy came to be the dance specialist on the Disney animation staff.

This scene is an intriguing rarity, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it a mystery. It's certainly no mystery why Walt would respond to a request from Fairbanks; at this time Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, if no longer the king and queen of Hollywood, were still very close to it, with a popularity and influence far exceeding those of any movie stars today. The fact that they were taking notice of Mickey is one more testament to how quickly he had become a popular phenomenon. No one would blame Walt for taking some pride in the attention he was suddenly getting from Hollywood royalty (don't forget the portraits of Doug and Mary that turn up in The Wayward Canary and the Fairbanks caricature, among dozens of others, in Mickey's Gala Premier).]

This is a good start, but I have not finished investigating this intriguing subject.

[This book describes and discusses over 900 of the most famous and not-so-famous songs from Disney films, television, Broadway, and theme parks from the 1930s to the present day, and does so in great detail to determine exactly what it is that makes them so memorable. It includes a glossary of song terms, a list of all the Disney songs and their sources, a songwriter's directory in which every song by each composer/lyricist is listed, a bibliography, a guide to recordings and DVDs of Disney productions, and an index of people and titles.]

[The "Beauty and the Beast" legend has a universal appeal; the fairy tale exists in numerous versions throughout the world. In the West, it's best known from the 17th and 18th French versions, which Walt Disney considered animating during the late 1930s. Disney gave up on the idea, as he felt the original story was too claustrophobic and lacking in action.

Reapproached in the 1980s, Beauty and the Beast had several false starts. It was originally conceived as an 18th century period piece, directed by the British husband-and-wife team of Richard and Jill Purdum. After some changes, two new directors, Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, were put in charge of the project. Although he was initially reluctant to do another animated film after The Little Mermaid, the late Howard Ashman came on board shortly after the new directors. Over many months, the characters and story gradually took form, but there were many changes, false starts and wrong turns. Sequences were created, reworked, cut and added as the film gradually emerged, like a statue from a block of marble.

After all the ups and downs, Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991 to rave reviews and record-breaking business. The film was widely hailed as a technical and aesthetic breakthrough and remains the only animated feature ever to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture. This authoritative book will feature interviews with artists, executives, and voice actors; and transcripts of meetings and story sessions. Illustrations will abound throughout, including sketches, caricatures, sequences of animation drawings, and preliminary artwork from discarded sequences. This book will be a must-have for any fan of the "Tale As Old As Time."]

Monday, June 15, 2009

Alice's Little Parade

We all know that the ultimate reference about Disney's pre-1928 (silent) creations is the book Walt in Wonderland by JB Kaufman and Russell Merritt (Edizioni Biblioteca dell' Imagine, 1992) and that the two greatest experts on the subject are JB himself and David Gerstein.

Having spoken to a new contact in Madrid on Saturday and having checked JB's and Russell's book, I believed that my contact had stumbled upon one of the lost Alice cartoons, Alice's Little Parade. But by talking to JB and David I realized that since the publication of Walt in Wonderland that cartoon had actually been found. This was news to me and I started wondering what other pre-1928 Disney cartoons had also been found since 1992. David and JB were extremely helpful. Here is the list of the cartoons that have officially been found. I am happy to say that some others might be on the verge of being rediscovered... but there will be more about this here and elsewhere when that actually happens.

- Alice's Little Parade preserved by Lobster Films - Shown here on YouTube- Alice Gets Stung preserved by Lobster Films and Disney - Appears on the Oswald DVD- Alice's Spanish Guitar preserved by the George Eastman House - Does not appear anywhere to date- Ozzie of the Mounted (Oswald) - Close to complete cartoon (save for the last scene) - Appears on the Oswald DVD- Tall Timber (Oswald) - Found by David Gerstein in a Norwegian film archive - Appears on the Oswald DVD- Bright Lights (Oswald) - Complete print discovered in Spain - Appears on the Oswald DVD

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Leo Holzer has just launched a Friends of the Walt Disney Family Museum on Facebook and encourages readers of this blog to join it. He recently posted the following note that he encouraged me to share:

[Subject: seeking personal memories of Walt Disney

Hi there. Roger and I are working to set up some interviews for stories about the Walt Disney Family Museum for this site and elsewhere, but as the museum gets ready for its opening this fall, we'd thought we'd get this Facebook site kicked off with something fun and interesting.

We're looking for your personal memories of Walt Disney, stories you might enjoy sharing with others on this site.

Maybe you're of a certain age and actually saw or met Walt Disney. Maybe you have a photo of that event you'd like to post here. Please do.

But even if you're like me and your memories of Walt are through his introductions to Disney's Wonderful World of Color or some book or newspaper article, those memories hold meaning in your life and we're interested in reading those as well.

I still remember my first visit to Disneyland, a few years after Walt's death, but HIS PICTURE was on the guidebook. I don't think I quite grasped the idea that Walt wasn't still walking among us. Even today, on my best visits to the park or when I'm watching some legend talk about working with Walt, I feel his spirit, optimism and inspiration alive.

We're planning a monthly topic of discussion on this Facebook site, all specific about Walt Disney's life and works, and encourage your participation. For June, it being the month of Father's Day, we'll start with your personal memories of Walt.

Every month we'll read all the submissions and select our favorites to share with Diane Disney Miller and officials at the museum.

Finally, if you have friends who are fans or students of Walt Disney's life, encourage them to join our jamboree here on Facebook. Remember and honor the company's humble roots when you look at the multimedia behemoth it's become since 1923.

I realize that many of you have been asking this question in the past few weeks. In short many of the participants have been extremely busy in the last few months due to the upcoming opening of the Disney Family Museum.

Thankfully I have now received the comments from all of the participants and will be able to submit the book for publication a few days after receiving the cover images from Pete Emslie. So expect Volume 8 to be released around mid to end of August.

I just got news from an old friend about the upcoming book Windows on Main Street from Disney Editions which should hit the parks this summer:

[It is a "Disney in Detail" style book, similar to the "Expedition Everest" and brand new "Finding Nemo in the Disney Theme Parks" book. Square paperback, 26 pages, D23 stamped. It will only be sold in the parks. It was researched extensively and its author Chuck Snyder conducted many interviews for it. I think it is a "must have," because of the insight it gives into the references made in the windows, and also for having a complete list of all Disneyland and WDW windows, which no one has printed up to this point. Marty Sklar wrote the intro, and a lot of Disney Legends helped with anecdotes.]

By the way, could anyone send me additional information about Finding Nemo in the Disney Theme Parks mentioned in this note?

[Jack Bradbury had a long career in animation and comic books and his distinctive style inspired several of today's artists. His son has started a website about his dad at this link: http://jbrad.org/ Besides lots of art, there is an excerpt from Bradbury's unpublished autobiography including discussing his time as an animator at the Disney Studios.]

[I was looking through some stuff to possibly sell and was distracted by skimming through ANIMATION BLAST #2 by Amid Amidi from Fall 1998. It has two interviews with Warner Brothers animators (Bob Givens and Pete Alvarado) that you might want for Bugs' Buddies. However, from a Disney History standpoint, in the Bob Given interview he admits that in his Warner Brothers cartoon "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt" that the feisty little Indian giving Bugs Bunny trouble was a caricature of Disney Legend Ward Kimball. In the Pete Alvarado interview is a sample of his artwork for a Sunday Mr. Magoo newspaper strip written by Disney storyman Dick Kinney. In it, Magoo and his nephew go to "MagicLand" that looks a lot like Disneyland and in fact there is a Jungleland Boat Ride where the myopic Magoo ends up talking to audio-animatronic animals (and we know they are mechanical because Alvarado puts a "Click! Click!" sound effect by the rhino, elephant and monkey.)]

But here is at least an explanation to the menu that you will find on the website’s front page to the left:Forsiden = Front pageArrangementet = The Arrangement (The Celebration)Utstillere = Exhibitors (read: Cartoonists) - making their tributes to Donald Duck in connection with his 75 years Anniversary - special made for our celebration event.1934 – 2009 = A short history about Donald Duck in films and comics through his first 75 years. Kvakks Festskrift = “Kvakk!” (“Quack!”) is a Norwegian Donaldist/ Disney Fanzine (published 4 times a year),“Festskrift” = Celebration issue – containing different articles (again only in Norwegian)

Four Extraordinary Days of Live Events, Interactive Pavilions andOne-of-a-Kind Entertainment Celebrate the Past, Present and Future of Disney

ANAHEIM and BURBANK, Calif. – June 3, 2009 – Disney fans will be given unprecedented access to never-before-seen movies, TV shows, park experiences, collectibles and more from Sept. 10 to Sept. 13 at the Anaheim Convention Center when Disney and D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans present the first-ever D23 EXPO.

Tickets to the D23 EXPO are available beginning today at http://www.d23expo.com/. Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 EXPO and can be purchased for single days or for the full four days of festivities. Admission is discounted for members of D23.

“We hope this will be the ultimate event for the multitude of fans who have been so instrumental in Disney’s success,” said Disney President and CEO Bob Iger. “The D23 Expo represents the finest in Disney entertainment from across our great company and will offer a one-of-a-kind, unforgettable experience for people of all ages to enjoy.”

Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle added, “The upcoming D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center will serve as an exciting opportunity to present Anaheim to the millions of Disney enthusiasts around the world. For the thousands of inaugural-year D23 Expo attendees who will visit our city in September, this will be a special and a memorable time in the birthplace of Walt Disney’s original theme park. It is a great honor for Anaheim and the Anaheim Convention Center to host this event.”

Among the centerpiece events of the D23 EXPO will be an extraordinary, exclusive opportunity to get early glimpses of several all-new Disney feature films. Only at the D23 EXPO will guests preview a wide range of upcoming movie events, including The Princess and the Frog, Rapunzel, Disney’s A Christmas Carol, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, TRON, Toy Story 3, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Walt Disney Pictures will present these special sneak peeks in a state-of-the-art cinema built especially for the D23 EXPO.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts will take D23 EXPO guests behind the scenes to explore the rich legacy and exciting future of Disney’s theme parks and vacation destinations worldwide. Highlights will include a special look at what’s being imagineered for the future of Disney’s California Adventure, a peek behind closed doors at the amazing new technologies defining today’s and tomorrow’s Disney theme park experience, and the opportunity to meet and hear from the Imagineers, Cast Members and key Disney Parks and Resorts executives who create lasting memories for millions every year.

In many different ways, the D23 EXPO will explore the history and heritage of Walt Disney and the company he founded more than 80 years ago. The D23 EXPO will be home to the 2009 Disney Legends Awards – a 22-year tradition that pays tribute to the talented men and women who have made indelible contributions to Disney entertainment. This year’s recipients will be honored at a ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 12, marking the first time the prestigious event has been held off Disney property.

In an extraordinary exhibition designed specifically for the D23 EXPO, an incredible collection of classic and contemporary Disney props, artifacts and costumes will be accessible to the public for the first time ever. “Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives” brings together such amazing pieces as the fully restored, 11-foot model of the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; the stunning, jewel-encrusted book used in the opening moments of Sleeping Beauty; and other rare surprises from throughout Disney’s history. Ranging from the original Mickey Mouse Club and the musical classic Mary Poppins to recent hits like Pirates of the Caribbean and High School Musical, the “Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives” is a never-before-experienced exhibit that’s a D23 EXPO exclusive.

The D23 EXPO spotlight will also shine on Disney Channel's brightest stars in a can't miss-special event. There will also be an ESPN Sports Lounge, live broadcasts from Radio Disney, and a preview of ABC's new fall primetime shows, details of which will be announced in the coming weeks at http://www.d23expo.com/.

For Disney fans who want to take home part of the magic, Disney Consumer Products will offer myriad opportunities to do just that. Only at the D23 EXPO will guests be able to walk through the eight-room “Disney Dream Home,” celebrate the holidays Disney-style, see fine art created before their eyes, learn about Disney Fairy Tale Weddings, experience Disney couture fashion shows, meet and hear from the authors of a dazzling array of Disney books, prepare for trick-or-treating with the latest Disney Store Halloween costumes, and more ... all under one roof.

The D23 EXPO also will be home to the “Disney Dream Store,” where guests will find exclusive D23 EXPO merchandise and collectibles; the Disney pin-trading headquarters; and much more, including the chance to build your own Mouse ears.

Showcasing Disney’s appeal to fans of every generation, the D23 EXPO has created a multi-layered experience: Avid Disney enthusiasts can attend dozens of specially created panels and celebrity-speaker events, details of which will be announced over the next several weeks. Younger Disney fans, meanwhile, will be able to experience special interactive play areas, meet their favorite Radio Disney DJs broadcasting live, watch “Princess makeover” demonstrations from the Bibbidi-Bobbidi Boutique, and have fun in the Baby Einstein play area. Together, families can enjoy the Disney Crafts Center and learn about Disney-themed scrapbooking.

The D23 Collectors’ Forum will present a wide range of options for collectors to show and sell their Disney memorabilia, and those interested in exhibiting can visit http://www.d23expo.com/ for more information.

Fans also will be able to view and even take part in the first-ever Disney Fan Art Gallery, which will include the finalists in the Donald Duck 75th Anniversary Portrait Contest, as well as a one-of-a-kind fan art show. Full details and contest rules can be found at http://www.d23expo.com/ or www.disney.com/D23.

All activities at the D23 EXPO are included in single- and four-day admissions, including the “50 and Fabulous Film Festival,” which honors three classic Disney movies that are celebrating their golden anniversaries this year. Sleeping Beauty, The Shaggy Dog and Darby O’Gill and the Little People, all originally released in 1959, will be presented on the big screen, one movie each evening, for Disney fans of all ages to enjoy together. Also featured at the D23 EXPO will be a special screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ upcoming Tinker Bell: Lost Treasure, along with an in-depth exploration of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition, which will be released this fall by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Tickets to the D23 EXPO, which go on sale today, are $37 for a one-day adult admission and $27 for children 3-12. To experience every bit of entertainment and excitement at the D23 EXPO, four-day passes are also available at $111 for adults and $81 for children. Members of D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans will receive a discount on up to four same-day admissions, as well as early entry to each day of the D23 EXPO for themselves and their guests.

Special vacation packages are available at the D23 EXPO website, from both the Walt Disney Travel Company (including Disneyland Resort hotel accommodations, D23 EXPO tickets and theme park admission), and the Anaheim Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, which is offering a limited number of area hotel rooms at special rates to those attending the D23 EXPO.

Many more details about the entertainment, events and special guests that will be part of the first-ever D23 EXPO will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can keep up with all of the announcements by visiting http://www.d23expo.com/, as well as by following “Disney D23” at Twitter and on Facebook.]

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

By far, one of my favorite covers of the Serbian pre-WWII Mika Mis magazine is the one pictured above.

Mickey says: "In this issue, and all through the summer, we publish a famous Travel Around the World." It's an announcment of a new series of comics, to be published in Mika Mis, the story made by cartoonist Djuka Jankovic, who did his strip after the famous satirical novel (Travel Around the World) by Serbian writer Branislav Nusic... It's actually based on the popular novel Around the World in 80 Days, but with characters from the Serbian countryside travelling around the world of the early 20th Century...

Monday, June 01, 2009

If you have been trying to email me recently and have not received any answer, please try sending your emails to didier.ghez@gmail.com It looks as if some emails sent to my hotmail address were bouncing.

For reasons that will become clear to some of you in a few months I was studying last week the making of Dumbo and remembered that I had at home an item that might interest readers of this blog.

Here is the cover of a small program in Chinese. Since it also contains a few sentences in English inside it was almost certainly published in Hong-Kong, maybe in 1948 for the official first release of the movie there.

I found out last week while in Salt Lake City that the second issue of the D23 magazine has now been released. This was both a good and a bad surprise. The negative part from my point of view is that I was hoping to pick up the first issue of that magazine while in the US and therefore couldn't.

Would one of the readers of the blog be able to find a copy of Twenty-Three number 1 for me? (I would of course pay for it!)